Lover's Ball
by prof-shader
Summary: Cedric is exhausted from helping prepare for the upcoming ball. Unfortunately, a certain witch needs advice about her crush and Cedric may just be the best person to listen. Older!Lucinda. (cover art by the beloved CAWOLI)
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Hello, this is my first fanfiction for the Sofia the First fandom, so please treat me gently. Constructive feedback is desired, but any form of encouragement is greatly appreciated, as I am _very_ new to this and have little faith in my writing skills. _

CH. 1

An exhausted Cedric climbed up the stairs of his gloomy tower, towards the beloved privacy of his workshop. The sun had set a couple hours ago, and his day had been filled with a seemingly never ending list of chores around the castle. Everyone in the castle was preparing for the Lovers' Ball, a great dance held to celebrate the end of winter in Enchancia.

'The Lovers' were a symbol of romance and camaraderie from a famous deck of enchanted cards, and were celebrated with dancing and socializing. Two things Cedric _vehemently_ despised. The Royal Sorcerer would have loved nothing more than to be left out of the whole affair, but as the entire Kingdom as well as many royals from surrounding Kingdoms had been invited, and King Roland had summoned Cedric in order to help spruce up the grounds in order for the castle to be ready by the end of the week. So, after several hours of casting decorative spells under Baileywick's (constant) supervision, Enchancia's Royal Sorcerer wanted to simply go to his room, brew a pot of tea, and relax.

Unfortunately, after he slipped off his purple Sorcerer's robe and was about to put his copper kettle over his fireplace, the silence in the room was broken by a firm tapping noise. Perplexed, Cedric arched an eyebrow and straightened up at once.

"Who on earth would bother me at this hour?" he muttered, walking towards the heavy door to his chambers. He opened it, prepared to give a scathing lecture to whomever was there, but was surprisingly met with an empty stairwell. He shut the door and turned around in one movement, Cedric scratched the back of his head.

"Well, I guess I must have imagined tha-" he began, before his was cut off by the annoying tapping noise again, which seemed slightly louder and more persistent than before.

Wormwood gave a caw, and motioned his beak in the direction of the window nearest to Cedric's wilting begonias. Narrowing his eyes, Cedric climbed the ladder to the balcony of his workshop and walked towards the curtained window. Grabbing a fistful of the maroon colored fabric in his hands, he hesitated for a moment to glance over to Wormy, who had perched himself nearby and gave his master a encouraging nod. With that, Cedric suddenly threw back the thick curtains and found himself staring into a pair of wide green eyes.

He let out a startled yelp that was met with a similar gasp from the stranger outside before she apparently fell off something and disappeared. Cedric threw open the window and stuck his head outside, looking around frantically.

'_Oh dear_,' he thought worriedly. A fall from that height would turn anything into a splatter on the lawn below. How was he going to explain that to the King? Or worse- Baileywick!

Just as he was about sure he was going to start having a panic attack, a giggle rang through the air and he snapped his head up from scanning the grounds below.

A tall young woman with dark hair and the same emerald eyes from earlier was floating effortlessly on a broomstick. A lock of her hair that was braided with colored glass beads and a flower barrette poked out from under a peculiar pointed hat with a couple feathers in it. She looked slightly older than Princess Sofia, perhaps 19 or 20.

"Wow, that would have been a doozy, huh?" she peeked up at Cedric and grinned sheepishly.

"And just who are _you_?" Cedric crossed his arms, trying to his composure.

"Who, me?" said the young lady, gesturing a fingerless-gloved hand to herself.

Cedric rolled his eyes "Who else would I be talking to?"

"I'm Lucinda the Good Witch. Nice to meet you!" Cedric couldn't tell in the dark, but he could swear she was sporting a vulpine grin.

"Charmed." he replied, voice dripping with sarcasm. "And what exactly are you doing knocking on my window at this late hour? Let me guess: you want some sort of spell from Cedric the Royal Sorcerer?"

"Actually..." said Lucinda, pulling out a twiggy wand and waving it in a small circle in the air. With a puff of smoke, she had seemingly disappeared from right before Cedric's eyes, until he felt a tap on his shoulder. The young witch stood behind him in his workshop, leaning one elbow nonchalantly on her broomstick.

"I'm all good in the spells department, being a witch and all. Thanks, though." she stuffed her wand back in her sleeve and sighed. "To be honest, I thought this was Sofia's room."

"How could you ever mistake my dark, manly lair as the room of a princess?!" Cedric gestured around to his beakers and books.

"'Dark, manly lair'?" Lucinda quirked an eyebrow before answering. "Well, it was the tallest tower in the whole castle, and I thought to myself 'you know, if I were a princess, I would want my room to be there!' Guess I was wrong." She shrugged, and Cedric felt himself grow more and more irritated with this obnoxious witch.

"I was coming to ask Sofia for some advice on something." Lucinda continued, while looking around curiously. "You see, a few years ago I used to be really bad at talking to people, but then I met Sofia and she helped me, and now I have many precious friendships."

Lucinda stopped and looked up at Wormwood, who gave her a glare and a rude click of his beak.

"Behave yourself, Wormwood!" Cedric snapped, before looking to Lucinda. The mention of Sofia's kindness seemed to have quelled a bit of his irritation. "That very much sounds like a thing Princess Sofia would do."

The young witch smiled at him, but her eyes looked a bit sullen. "Yes, but I have an even bigger problem now, and I don't even know if Sofia could help me this time…" Lucinda let out a sad sigh. "I...I've fallen in love with someone. But I don't know what to do… or even how to tell them! I want to ask them to the Lover's Ball, but I've never done anything like that. I just don't think I can."

Lucinda's eyes were starting to shimmer, and Cedric and Wormwood exchanged a worried glance. Weepy girls were not one of Cedric's strong points. Wanting to avoid any of the upcoming waterworks, Cedric put a firm but gentle hand on Lucinda's shoulder and steered her towards the window.

"Well, I'm sure Princess Sofia would be happy to help you, but for now I think it would be best if you go home, because this Royal Sorcerer has a long day of rose budding spells and floor polishing charms tomorrow. Ta-ta!" he opened the window wide open and began to usher Lucinda out when suddenly she lifted her head towards him, her eyes wide with a sudden realization.

"I know! You could help me!" she burst out joyfully.

"M-me?" Cedric stammered, taking a startled step back.

"Yes!" she looked him directly in the eye with a hopeful optimism that made Cedric recall all-too-well the requests of a certain princess. "I mean, we're so much alike! We both come from magical backgrounds, and find it hard to get along with others. Like me, you clearly don't have many friends."

"Excuse me, young lady, but I have plenty of friends!" Cedric argued.

"Name four, then." Lucinda countered flatly.

Taken aback, Cedric began to count on his fingers, determined to prove this pest of a girl wrong.

"Princess Sofia of course, Greylock, Wormwood…" he looked away, embarrassed "...Mummy-"

"Moms don't count!" Lucinda cut him off, and waved her arms at him. "But this is the point, don't you see? YOU can relate to me much better than Sofia in this case!"

"Listen, I highly doubt I can relate to your situation." replied Cedric, shutting his eyes as he rubbed his temples. This girl was proving to be more of a headache than Baileywick!

"But Sorcerer!" Lucinda whined "Haven't you ever loved someone that is different than you? Maybe they don't come from a magical family, or maybe you did something bad to them in the past? But they still accepted you anyway? And when they did it made you want to be… well, 'good'?"

Lucinda could swear Cedric's shoulders stiffened at that. She let herself hope for a moment she had stumbled on some kind of weak spot of his, and held her breath. He took a sharp intake of air and let it out in an irritated sigh, finally peeking through his fingers and studied her for a moment. Her bright green eyes were unwavering, and he let out a defeated groan and pushed back his gray bangs.

"Merlin's mushrooms…_Fine." _he muttered grumpily, pulling out his wand in a fluid motion from inside his waistcoat. He flicked it towards the copper kettle he had abandoned earlier and it hooked itself on the rod above the pile of wood in the fireplace, and in a puff a fire began to crackle strongly beneath it. "But first, let's put on a pot of tea."


	2. Chapter 2

CH. 2

Cedric was seated in his large plush chair, one leg crossed over his knee and a floating saucer and teacup hovering at shoulder height beside him. Lucinda was once again on her broomstick, using it as a chair with her ankles tucked neatly under her. She had done a similar enchantment on the cup of tea Cedric had wordlessly offered her, and after a long sip placed the cup neatly in the air in front of her. It bobbed slightly, Cedric noticed aptly, not quite as solid of a spell as his, but the Sorcerer had to admit it was nice not having to perform every spell in the room, for once. Wormwood dozed on his perch nearby, having fallen asleep in the quiet time the tea was steeping.

"Now, Miss Lucinda," he said, looking at the witch floating directly across from him. "Tell me exactly why this 'crush' of yours is proving so difficult."

Lucinda's cheeks grew hot and she hesitantly pressed her lips together, unsure of how to put it. She hadn'tt really said her feelings aloud, especially not to another person, and she had greatly underestimated how embarrassed talking about her problems with a stranger would be. She took a deep breath before starting her long winded explaination.

"Well, like I said, we both come from two different worlds. I come from a long line of wicked witches, and when I met them, I was still a wicked witch, too. I hexed them… like a _lot_. But eventually, I realized thanks to Sofia that I really wanted to be a GOOD witch and the only reason I was hexing people was because I didn't know how else to make friends. I started using good spells and began becoming closer to people." Lucinda was staring intently into the teacup in front of her, unable to meet Cedric's eyes. After shifting her weight nervously she kept going.

"A couple months ago, I was trying to cheer up a friend who was having a bad day. A couple simple spells. Nothing big, making a flower bud bloom or something like that…and t-that's w-when..." Lucinda started to stammer and felt her cheeks burning at this point. Goodness, this was even harder than when Sofia was teaching her how to apologize.

"When what…?" Cedric inquired.

"WHEN I SAW THEM SMILE, OKAY?" Lucinda blurted, her expression aflame with embarrassment. Wormwood's golden eyes snapped open at the sudden outburst and he gave a startled squawk and fluffed his feathers in annoyance.

"A-and I realized I really liked that smile! Like, REALLY liked that smile! And I wanted to do good magic to see that smile more! And I wanted to just be better in general for this person and that's when I realized t-th-that-"

"That you loved them, correct?" Cedric finished, knowingly, almost involuntarily. He was listening, but his mind seemed to be elsewhere, thinking hard about something else.

Lucinda looked up gratefully at the older Sorcerer, and managed to nod her head meekly.

"And you want to ask them to the Lover's Ball?" he asked, making sure he followed her train of thought.

"Yes," Lucinda nodded again, but now her head was hanging so low that Cedric couldn't see past the brim of her hat. "But I haven't ever been to a ball... I'm totally unprepared and I wouldn't even know how to ask them! With all the things I've done to them in the past, even if I could ask them, I doubt they'd say yes…"

"Enough of that." Cedric snapped, and suddenly stood up and walked towards her until he was able to put a hand on her shoulder, causing the distraught witch to meet his eye. He had a stern, determined expression she hadn't realized he was capable of.

"You said this person forgave your past behavior, yes?"

Lucinda nodded silently.

"They're your friend, and encourage you to be better?"

Another nod.

"Good. Then your past doesn't matter. What matters is what you do now. If you let what you've done before hold you back…" Cedric felt a strange tightening in his chest at his own words. "...it will only eat you up inside."

Lucinda stared at him a long time, listening to the pain in his voice at his warning to her. She nodded, more determined this time. Cedric's expression softened and he patted her shoulder twice.

"I'll try my best…" she said, her bright green eyes sparkling with newfound determination. "...but the Lover's Ball is only in three more days!"

Cedric felt his brows knit. This girl sure loved finding excuses to whine.

"Well, two more days, at this point." he gestured to the sky outside. The had stars begun to fade into the steadily brightening morning light. Lucinda looked absolutely crestfallen as she watched little rays of light peek over the horizon, but Cedric continued, unfazed by the turn of events. "Which gives us plenty of time, my dear."

"It does?" Lucinda gave him a puzzled look of disbelief.

"Of course! Just come back tomorrow ...-er, I guess 'tonight'- and we'll sort everything out then," he smirked at her surprised expression and waved his wand with a confident flourish. The tea set disappeared in a puff, and the fire in the fireplace extinguished itself instantly.

"Really, Mr. Sorcerer?" Lucinda clasped her hands to her chest.

"Heh, they don't call me 'Cedric the Sensational' for nothing, you know!" he replied puffing out his chest slightly. "But, you're going to have to promise no more whining or finding excuses, do you understand?"

Lucinda nodded enthusiastically, practically jumping for joy. "Yes, yes, anything! Thank you, thank you, thank youuu!"

He shook his head at her antics, although still donning a good natured smile.

"Now go home, and let me get some sleep before that stuffy stewart comes up to bother me again." If he went to bed now, he perhaps had four hours of sleep to look forward to before Baileywick came to pester him about decorative spells again.

"Yes, sir!" said Lucinda, hopping back on her broom. She flew up in a spiral, towards the still open window from where she had entered hours ago. She halted right before exiting the window to looked down at Cedric, who was absently petting Wormwood in the crook of his feathered neck.

"You know, I think I remember Sofia mentioning a ' ' a few times before."

Wormwood noticed his masters fingers stop their gentle circles for a heartbeat at the sound of those words, before continuing on as if nothing happened.

"Is that so?" replied Cedric, trying to act natural. He had a sudden urge to interrigate her further about details, against his own better judgement. Lucinda too, was waiting for him to ask more about the subject, but it seemed like his jaw was going to remain shut.

"Mmhmm, quite a few times now that I think about it. You're a really good listener Mr. Cedric, Sofia is sooo lucky to have someone like you to talk to about everything." Lucinda's lips curled into a sly grin, and she added, "_No wonder she said she admired you so much_."

It as Cedric's turn to feel a creeping warmth crawl up his neck, and Lucinda could see his ears turning red even from so far away. He spun around and was going to stammer some half-hearted retort at the puckish witch, but Lucinda had already sped out the window, magically shutting it behind her. He slowly turned back around, and looked towards his pet raven, who was giving him a teaching look.

"It doesn't look like she's completely given up her wicked ways," he muttered bitterly, but a smile he couldn't hide began to spread across his lips. He echoed Lucinda's words. "...'admires me', eh?"

Wormwood tittered at his Master's very un-villain-like expression, and the exhausted sorcerer snapped out of his dreamy state and glared at his feathered companion.

"Oh, just be quiet Wormy!" he huffed, before walking to his bedroom and collapsing on the bed, rolling himself in his comforter and not even bothering to kick off his shoes. He was far too exhausted to deal with Wormwood's condescension for even a moment longer.


	3. Chapter 3

CH. 3

Enchancia's Royal Sorcerer managed to get no more than a couple hours of sleep before Baileywick had knocked on his door, asking through the door how Cedric could 'sleep in' like this when there was so much to do around the castle. Too groggy to grumble a sarcastic response, Cedric pulled himself out of bed, knowing that ignoring him would only make the castle steward more of a handful to deal with later.

"Coming, coming!" Cedric yelled in reply, before muttering under his breath "...you relentless pain in my-"

"What was that, Cedric?"

"I said, 'Coming'!" Cedric was struggling to slip into his robe and open the door at the same time. Baileywick peered at him over his spectacles, noticing Cedric's rather unkempt appearance.

"Now really, Cedric," said the steward, furrowing his brow in disapproval. "I hope you don't plan on attending the ball dressed like that."

Cedric's eye twitched in annoyance, but he tried moving the conversation along.

"What incredibly frivolous chores would you like me to waste my talents on today, hm?"

Ignoring Cedric's tone, Baileywick pulled out his pocket watch, turned on his heel, and began walking down towards the center of the castle.

"First, could you help more of the rosebuds in the garden bloom? Then after that perhaps putting another polishing enchantment on the dancefloor. Oh, and you should probably top it off with a de-scuffing charm while you're at it." he droned on, not bothering to look back.

Cedric rolled his eyes, but slinked after him. Most of the spells Baileywick had been describing were simple enough that Cedric could do them half asleep. Truthfully, even the youngest sorcerers were expected to do these spells around the home, even before attending Sorcery School. Why, Cedric's own mother had showed him how to cast a spell that made mops wash the floors by themselves, before he was old enough to even hold a wand!

Still, the sleepy sorcerer couldn't help but feel a bit jealous of his pet raven, snoozing inside his workshop while he while he locked the door behind him and tucked the key in the gargoyle's toe. He allowed himself one more exhausted sigh before skulking after Baileywick.

By the evening, most of the decorations had been put up, but Baileywick was still looming over Cedric's shoulder in the castle ballroom. Cedric had his wand out, and was levitating an innumerable number of tea lights in the air.

"A bit higher, if you please." instructed Baileywick. Cedric, raised his wand with a yawn and all the tiny candles rose closer to the ceiling. "Hm, now they're _too_ high. Could you lower them a couple inches?"

Cedric could barely keep his eyes open at this point, having been up for the better part of two days, but lowered his wand slowly. The candles began to ease down steadily.

"A little more…"

For half a second, Cedric's eyes completely closed and the hand that held his wand fell limp to his side and all the candles suddenly began to clatter to the floor.

"Cedric!" Baileywick shouted, managing to dart out of the way in time to miss being hit from above.

"W-what!?" Cedric's eyes popped open and he looked around at the mess he had caused. His shoulders slumped, and was just about to apologize when the door suddenly opened and Princess Sofia walked in. A worried expression coloring her features, and she was biting her lower lip tentatively.

"Is everything alright? I thought I heard a commotion…" her eyes widened when she saw all the candles on the floor. "Oh, my…"

"Oh my, indeed." agreed Baileywick, crossing his arms and looking at Cedric sternly.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me…" Cedric ran his fingers through his hair, pushing back his grey bangs. Sofia gingerly stepped over a few candles and over to the sorcerer, and gently tugged him by the sleeve.

"I think it's about time took a break, Baileywick." she said to the steward in a voice as sweet as sugar. Before either of the older men could protest, the princess had hooked her arm into Cedric's and was leading him out into the empty hallway. As soon as they were alone, she turned to him.

" , are you alright?" her blue eyes were full of worry and Cedric squirmed under her gaze.

"Yes, quite alright, Princess Sofia." he said, but she knew better.

"No, you're not. You have dark circles under your eyes, your hair is a mess, and your bow…" Cedric looked down and noticed in his haste this morning, he had tied his yellow bowtie askew. He tried to stammer out an excuse for his appearence, but his jaw snapped shut and his shoulders went stiff when Sofia took a step closer to him and began adjusting his tie.

He couldn't help but notice how tall the Princess had gotten over the years, so tall in fact, that she reached just under his chin. She was also so close that he could smell the light scent of her shampoo, and the sorcerer's breath caught in his throat. He was relieved when she was done and took a step back again, to make sure it was straight. Various parts of Lucinda and his conversation kept involuntarily coming to mind as he looked at the princess, and he felt especially on distracted around her today.

"I suppose I am a bit tired, as of late" Cedric admitted. "I've just been so busy preparing for the ball for last couple of days."

"Then you really should take a break." Sofia beamed. "How about we go have some tea?"

"That sounds lovely, my dear," he remembered he had promised to meet Lucinda up in his workshop later tonight, "But...I still have some things I need to work on."

"Oh." said Sofia a bit sadly. "Could...I help you with any of it?"

"Oh no, Princess, that isn't necessary. I just need to spend a bit more time in my workshop, on … something personal." he didn't think Lucinda would appreciate him giving away her secret, so he tried to stay vague. He gave her a sincere smile, and pulled out his wand. "But first, I need to clean up that mess in there. Baileywick looked livid."

"Thats okay, I can at least do that for you! You just go work on what you need to do." Sofia placed a hand on his hand, lowering his arm, and then pulling out her own wand she had been keeping handy. "Making a few candles disappear should be easy… especially since I have a good teacher who taught me the right spells to cast!"

She winked playfully at him before turning towards the ballroom again, slipping through the large doors. Cedric couldn't help but smile warmly after her. She really was one of the most thoughtful people he knew. He sensed that all these years helping Sofia learn magic and get each other out of other hiccups along the way was what had made him more willing to help Lucinda. He took a glance out the nearest window and realized that the sky was starting to turn dark and that their meeting time was growing near. He quickly hurried towards his tower, a bit uplifted after seeing his favorite princess.

Lucinda was already in the workshop, scratching Wormwood's head sweetly, when Cedric walked in. The sorcerer smirked, seeing that his usually stiff companion was putty in the witches hands, cooing at her ministrations, his previous bad attitude towards her totally gone.

"You two seem to be getting along swimmingly." Cedric said, closing the door behind him. Hearing his master's voice, Wormwood quickly pulled away from Lucinda and tried to look like his usual serious self. Lucinda giggled at him, and faced Cedric with a beaming smile.

"Good evening, Mr. Sorcerer!" she chirped. "I hope you don't mind that I let myself in."

"Even if I did mind, I doubt that would stop you." Cedric said drolly. "Anyway, lets get started shall we? We have a lot to prepare by tomorrow."

"What are we going to do first?" Lucinda asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Well, from my research, I believe the first thing someone needs in order to be fit for a ball is a sparkling gown."

Lucinda laughed at him, hugging her sides. "What, don't tell me your 'research' was just the story of Cinderella, was it?"

Cedric scowled, and looked away. "It's not like I have a lot of experience helping little girls prepare for royal balls, so you're going to have to take what you can get. Now stand in the center of the room for me, would you?"

Lucinda obediently got up and took a few steps forward. "Here?"

"Yes, that will do, now stay still." the Royal Sorcerer pulled out his wand and waved it in the air "_Texeray fulgurantis_!"

From the tip of his wand a shower of gold light poured out and began to swirl around the witch. Soon she was entirely engulfed in light, the whole room went white and Cedric had to shield his eyes. When the light began to subside, Lucinda was standing in the middle of the room, eyes closed as well. She blinked a couple times from the light, then looked down at herself. Her green eyes went wide at the sight.

"M-mr. Sorcerer! Look at what you've done!" she cried out, turning around in disbelief, gaping at herself.

"Is it okay?" asked Cedric, disappointed. Maybe he had blundered the spell, and the dress wasn't to her liking. It did seem a bit _shiny_.

"It's...it's…." Lucinda looked up at him, and he could see her eyes were brimming with tears. He gulped, was it really that bad?

"It's absolutely _perfect_!" she cried at last. She wore a floor length gown with an illusion neckline, with a tasteful tulle bow tied around her waist in the back. The whole thing shimmered over her body like it had been dusted in gold, and matching full length gloves now adorned her arms where her fingerless ones had been before. The ensemble made her look much more mature, and even Wormwood's beak had dropped open at the transformation.

"Oh, Mr. Cedric, thank you, thank you, thankyou! You're exactly like the fairy godmother Cinderella had!" said Lucinda, bounding over to him, arms outstretched gratefully. Cedric yelped at her outburst of affection and braced himself for her hug, but she ended up tripping over her own hem after a single step. She landed with a thud to the floor, and Cedric quickly walked over to her.

"Maybe not tripping over your own feet should be your next lesson." he said dryly before offering her a hand. "That reminds me, do you know how to dance?"

With the sorcerer's help she heaved herself up and nodded.

"I know a few steps to the Royal Reel…" she said. Cedric shook his head.

"Not good enough. You'll need to at least learn to waltz, let me wrap this spell up for you first though…" He went to his cabinet and pulled out a long piece of parchment, and held it up in one hand and began to wave his wand in the other. The light from before reappeared around Lucinda, but this time swirling away from her, seemingly taking the glimmering dress with it. She was left in her original outfit and the strands of light were transferred into rune-like symbols onto the scroll. The second it finished, the scroll curled up tightly and handed it to Lucinda. "Just say the spell written on there and the dress will re-appear."

"Wow, thanks!" Lucinda said, slipping it into a pocket of her dress. Cedric nodded, and waved his wand again. This time a pattern of footprints appeared on the stone floor of the workshop.

"Now Miss. Lucinda, these are the steps to the classic waltz. You'd hold your partner like this…" he gestured with his arms. "and dace in three quarters time, like so- one, two, three, one, two, three."

"Are you going to have me dance with you for practice?" Lucinda asked, grinning at him slyly. Cedric looked uncomfortable.

"Of course not! I'm a sorcerer, not a dancer! Plus, someone needs to play the music…" he picked up a violin that Lucinda hadn't noticed before, and began to use his wand as a bow against the strings. Lucinda was clearly surprised at this, and when he started playing she couldn't help but be even more impressed. He was actually really good!

"Whenever you're ready Lucinda…" Cedric said, over his playing.

"Oh, right!" Lucinda blushed and began following the steps, holding up her hands as if she were holding onto someone. "One, two, three…"

After a couple of songs Lucinda felt like she was getting the hang of it, and Cedric agreed. He put away his violin, and removed the dance instructions with a swish of his wand.

"I think you're as ready for the ball as you'll ever be." Cedric said cheerfully. All this progress had given him a second wind for the day, and he didn't seem the least bit tired. "Is there anything else you feel uncomfortable with?"

Lucinda pressed her fingers together nervously, and looked up at him.

"Um… well, there is one thing I'm worried about…"

"And that is…?" Cedric raised an eyebrow, not liking how suddenly shy she had gotten.

"I… I don't think I really know how to exactly do the _asking_ part of asking them to the ball."

Cedric groaned. Couldn't she do even this one thing by herself? He looked at her, pouting up at him. "What do you want me to do…" he said, unenthusiastically.

"Could I, um, practice with you?" said Lucinda, blushing.

Cedric rolled his eyes and gave a huge sigh. "Fine fine, but let's get it over with quickly."

Lucinda nodded, and faced him shyly.

"H-hey… w-w-would you please go to the ball with me?" she stammered nervously, imagining Cedric as the one she loved.

"I can't even hear you." Cedric complained, crossing his arms. "Look them in the eye when you say it too. Try again."

At that moment a humming Sofia was carrying a tray up the staircase towards Cedric's workshop, followed by a lopping Clover.

"I don't get it Sof, did you say Cedric said he didn't want tea?" said the old grey bunny, trying to keep up.

"No, he said he was too busy to have tea and had to do something in his workshop. Mr. Cedric's been helping around the castle non-stop the last few days, he doesn't have time to take a break, so I thought I could at least bring the tea to him." Sofia replied, a matter-of-factly. The tray held two teacups with a green floral pattern on them and a kettle filled with Cedric's favorite mint tea. She couldn't wait to see the look on his face when she surprised him with this. He always was trying his best, and she knew exactly the best way to comfort him when he was stressed and over-worked. "If he doesn't want it, Clover, you can share it with me!"

"Aw, can't I just have some carrot cake instead?" complained Clover.

Sofia giggled softly, but suddenly stopped when she heard voices from Cedric's workshop. One was Cedric's and one was… a woman's voice? Sofia's eyes widened when she heard it again and she suddenly felt her pulse quicken . She couldn't make out what they were saying through the thick oak door, but she noticed that it was unlocked.

"You have to say it as if you mean it! AND look them in the eye! AND be loud enough for them to hear!" Cedric chastised Lucinda, after her fifth try. This had been the hardest part yet, and Lucinda shook with frustration. If she failed at this, then all of Cedric's work would be for nothing! She took a deep breath and decided to give it her all. At that exact moment, Princess Sofia had pushed open the door holding her tray of tea.

"WILL YOU PLEASE GO WITH ME TO THE LOVER'S BALL?" Lucinda said as loudly as she could, not hearing Sofia come in. A sudden sound of breaking porcelain and clattering metal caused Cedric and Lucinda to look up in a panic. Princess Sofia stood in the frame of the open door, shards of the tea set at her feet along with the silver tray and a puddle of tea.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Thank you everyone for the positive feedback! I'm sorry it took so long to update, but I hope you enjoy this next chapter. There will probably be one more chapter after this to wrap up this story. _

CH.

Cedric felt the color drain from his face, and the Princess's stare fell on him like a lead weight.

'_How in Enchancia am I going to explain this?!_' he thought, practically screaming internally.

After a half second that felt like eternity he looked towards Lucinda, frantic for help at describing the context of the easily misread situation. Unfortunately, she was even more mortified than the sorcerer, face bright red and was trembling all over.

"Igottago!" Lucinda said, clumsily taking out her wand and flicking it at the ground, disappearing in a large puff of green smoke. Abandoned, Cedric spun back towards Princess Sofia to try and explain himself but his mouth only opened and closed uselessly, and no words came.

"I-I'm so sorry to have disturbed you!" Sofia 's voice was shaking and Cedric could only watch as she gathered her skirt to rush down the stairs. Clover immediately hurried after her, but not before giving the sorcerer a shocked look. The echoing clicks of the princess's heels began to grow fainter until they disappeared and she was undoubtedly gone.

Cedric staggered back fell into his purple chair, and Wormwood flapped over to the armrest and watched with worry as the initial shock wore off the sorcerer's face and he was struck by a wave of raw panic.

"Ooh, Wormy!" he said, burying his head in his hands. "What have I done? What is she going to think? Why didn't I go after her?!"

His shoulders slumped and he let out a sigh that sounded almost like a whimper.

"I'm such a coward, Wormwood. I have no right giving advice to anyone about anything, I'm just a bumbling screw-up."

The raven kaw'd gently, and hopped closer to his sullen master.

"No Wormy, it's too late now…" Cedric answered. "And even if I was courageous enough to confront her, what would I do then? Reveal Lucinda's secret?" He shook his head. "No, I can't punish that poor girl for my blunders… especially since she _is _brave enough to try her best for the person she cares about..."

Cedric's chest was unbearably tight with despair, and the last few horrible minutes only added to the fact he had been up for so long the last two days. He got up and went to his bedroom, not bothering to give Wormwood a glance who was staring after him sadly. He locked the door and pulled the sheets over himself tightly, wishing this were all just some nightmare he could wake up from in the morning. He had no idea how he could face the princess again otherwise.

* * *

><p>Sofia too, had retreated to her bed chamber, so distracted by her pounding heart that she almost closed the door on poor Clover's tail.<p>

"Yow, Sof! Watch it!" Clover yelped, tucking in his tuft of a tail as the door slammed behind him "What's wrong with you, kid? You first drop all the tea when you get to Cedric's workshop, run out right after, and then almost amputate my fluffy little tail?"

"I don't know, Clover." Sofia said suddenly, not knowing the answer herself. Her chest was tight and she placed a hand over her thumping heart. Clover raised an eyebrow at her, hopping next to her as she sat under her canopy bed. "I just walked in and saw Lucinda asking to the Lover's Ball and then I just… got embarrassed I guess?"

"I guess that is a pretty embarrassing thing to walk in on. I don't blame you." said Clover, satisfied with her answer. Sofia smiled weakly, and nodded. As she prepared for bed, she realized that 'embarrassed' wasn't the right word for the emotion she was feeling right now. She definitely wished she hadn't seen Lucinda and Cedric together because it felt like a breach of their privacy but now that it was over, her chest still ache like she had just seen something truely frightening. The Princess pondered this as she slipped into bed.

Her chest continued to ache dully in the night, despite trying to tell herself that is was nothing. Once she was sure Clover had fallen asleep, however, she allowed herself to cry quietly in her pillow.

* * *

><p>The next morning Sofia awoke groggy and with her blankets in disarray. She didn't feel like she had gotten very good sleep last night, and her eyes still felt a little puffy. She washed her face and pulled on a simple purple dress, getting ready to leave for the day. Looking over to Clover, asleep in a basket he used as a bed these days, she bit her lower lip guiltily and slipped out the door. Clover was one of her best friends, but it just didn't seem like he would know how to help her in this case.<p>

The castle staff was still busy doing last minute preparations, as the Lover's Ball was just a day away. Although the bulk of the chores had been done by the Royal Sorcerer's magic, things like cooking and setting up chairs were best done by hand.

'_Hopefully Mr. Cedric will get a day off..._' Sofia thought to herself, and immediately felt a pang of emotion at the image of the Sorcerer. She realized that her emotions had not subsided since last night, and picked up her pace to the royal carriage.

"Hello there, Princess Sofia!" the coachman said cheerily. "Going someplace today?"

"Yes, could you take me to Dunwitty please?" said Sofia, masking her sadness with a bright smile.

"As you wish, Princess"

The coachman gave her a hand into the flying carriage, and set off quickly. Sofia looked solemnly out the window. She wanted to consult Ruby and Jade about this issue, this_ feeling_, that she didn't quite understand. It was something like jealousy, but also something else that felt a little frightening. Like when you cast a complicated spell that can't easily be undone. After landing Sofia instructed the coachman to wait for her to return. She hated making him wait around for her, but she didn't know how long this conversation would take. The coachman, however, just seemed happy to not have to be roped into Baileywick's chores that day and told her to enjoy herself.

Walking down the main street of Dunwitty, Sofia thought about how she would find her friends. It was an unplanned visit, so obviously no meeting place had been set up. She sighed, guessing she would just have to check each of her two friends' houses and perhaps ask around town. Just as she turned to walk towards Jade's house, she heard a strong 'whoosh' followed by a blur of purple and green swoop by her.

"Sofia!"

"Lucinda?" asked Sofia, recognizing the voice. She bit her lip, realizing that the witch was the last person she had wanted to run into here. "Oh, um, I was just on my way to Jade's house and I'm in a bit of a hurry so…" Sofia tried to start walking away.

"You CAN'T tell her what you saw yesterday!" Lucinda said, following Sofia along on her broom. "It will spoil everything!"

Sofia looked at her, knitting her brows tightly together.

"How would telling Jade change anything? I mean you already asked him to the ball…" her pulse was increasing and so was her pace away from the witch.

"I wasn't asking him to the ball... He was just helping me practice! But then you came in and I got scared so I disappeared without explaining myself. Please Sofia, you can't tell Jade ANY of this, though!" Lucinda begged, maneuvering her broom so that it cut Sofia short and the princess was forced to look in her friend in the eye. Sofia could see clearly for the first time that Lucinda was on the edge of tears.

Sofia's look softened and she took Lucinda's shaking hand in hers.

"It's okay, Lucinda. I won't tell." Sofia said softly and saw Lucinda's face wash over with relief. "...But why did you need Mr. Cedric's help for something like _that_? You could have easily asked Me or Jade or Ruby-"

Lucinda's face grew warm but she realized she couldn't hold her secret in any longer.

"B-b-because the p-person I wanted to ask was Jade!" she stammered, her face glowing pink. "But I was too nervous that I needed advice and helped me so I wouldn't make a fool of myself…"

Sofia's eyes widened in surprise. This meant that…. Lucinda didn't like Mr. Cedric! Sofia felt a laugh bubble up from inside her. Lucinda blinked, astonished at the princess's reaction.

"S-sofia?"

"It's okay Lucinda! It just all makes sense now!" said Sofia, erupting in a fit of giggles. The tightness in her chest had given into a faintly ticklish feeling that she couldn't ignore, like a sparrow was flitting around happily in her ribcage.

"So you won't tell?" Lucinda smiled hopefully.

"No, but…. You're going to have to." Sofia grinned and pointed behind her. The young witch turned her head and gave a surprised squeak. Coming around the corner was none other than Jade! When the girl in question looked up and saw her two friends, she waved at them and began to make her way over.

"I'll give you two some privacy." Sofia whispered, so Jade couldn't hear. "Don't worry, you'll do great. You had a really great teacher to practice with!" Sofia gave Lucinda a soft shove forward before waving to her friend and skipping back to the coachman.

"Hey, where is Sofia going in such a rush?" Jade asked Lucinda, as she got closer and watched Sofia skip away.

"Um, s-she probably has to help prepare f-for the ball at the c-castle." Lucinda gulped, gathering up her courage. "S-sp-speaking of which, c-could I asked you something, Jade?"

"Hn? What is it?" Jade turned her full attention to her friend and smiled warmly.

Lucinda's green eyes grew wide as she looked at Jade's smiling face.

'_That's the smile… I fell in love with_.' she thought to herself, heart melting in her chest.

In that moment, Lucinda knew exactly what to say.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Last chapter of this story, guys. Thank you so much for the reviews and follows, it really meant so much for me and my first time doing this. Please enjoy this final chapter._

**CH.5**

Cedric awoke feeling renewed, and his eyes heavy from oversleep. Before there was any time for him to recall the past couple of days, a familiar rapping on the door forced him to get up. Baileywick stood outside his workshop's door when he opened it, and the steward pushed himself into the room without much of an hello, combing his half lidded eyes over the general mess that was the Royal Sorcerer's Workshop. He gingerly stepped over the broken tea set and raised an eyebrow.

"Well, thankfully your part of the castle probably won't attract any guests tonight, so we won't have to worry about them seeing this mess… but you really should clean up more Cedric." said the castle steward dryly.

"Oh, kindly shut your- Wait, 'tonight'?" Cedric looked outside his window and saw that a number of flying carriages were landing on the front lawn. "Poseidon's Pumpkins! I slept through an entire day?!"

Baileywick nodded in confirmation. Cedric groaned, running a hand over his face. No wonder he felt so well rested despite everything that happened with Sofia the last couple of days! Speaking of which, because he had slept through the past day he hadn't been able to explain anything to her before The Lover's Ball, and by the looks of it, half the Kingdom of Enchancia had already arrived at the doorstep!

"What am I going to do?" Cedric complained out loud.

"Well, for starters you can change out of that robe you always wear into something more appropriate for the occasion." Baileywick said.

"What's wrong with my robes?"

"Nothing, if you were brewing gooey potions all day up here- but the King requested you be in attendance in order to keep an eye on your enchantments. Thankfully, I anticipated your woredrobe's shortcomings and prepared this for you." Baileywick presented a bundle of nearly pressed clothes that Cedric hadn't noticed he was carrying earlier.

"How could you possibly know what size I am?" Cedric took the bundle, a bit perplexed by this change in Baileywicks demeanor. These clothes were of much higher quality than he was used to. They didn't seem cheap, nor did they seem like any kind of second hand outfit.

Baileywick waved his hand absently as he began to turn towards the door. "I'm the castle steward. It's my job to know such things. Anyway, the Royal Family will be expecting you to make an appearance shortly. I suggest you change as quickly as you can manage."

"Well, alright then. Er… Thanks you, Baileywick." the words tasted strange on his tongue. Thanking the steward was not something he was used to.

"Of course. After all the effort you put into the ball's decorations, it was the least I could do. Now, I must return to the party…" with that, Baileywick took his leave, shutting the door behind him.

Cedric looked down again at the luxurious clothes in his arms. It was strange to think about it, but perhaps the relationship between the two gentlemen was getting better after all these years. Either way, he better get ready for the ball…

Cedric stood stiffly off in the corner of the grand ballroom, sipping a flute of champagne from a white gloved hand and observing the splendor around him. Baileywick's excruciating instructions had actually cumilated in a grand display that decorated the castle inside and out. The steward did just a good a job on choosing a flattering outfit for the sorcerer. He wore a well fitted suit, with red and white trim and a hint of gold embellishment along the edges of his sleeves. A crimson satin hankerchif was folded neatly in his breast pocket and the chain to a pocketwatch peeped out of it. Cedric couldn't help but feel embarrassed and a tad over-dressed. His outfit was almost as dashing as many of the higher dukes and counts in the room. He had never felt so self-conscious about his appearance before, and decided to stay tucked away, far from the center of the ballroom.

"Mr. Royal Sorcerer!" came a familiar voice, and Cedric looked up and saw Lucinda heading over to him, arms locked with one of Sofia's friends. She waved at him wildly, causing him to shrink deeper into the background of the party to avoid the unwanted attention of the royal guests. (After all these years, he still had a nervous aversion to kings.)

As they walked over he noticed how deeply _more_ than just friendship was being exuded between the two ladies. Every brush against the other's arm, every exchanged look, every genuine laugh seemed laced with an undeniable intimacy, and Cedric witnessed it all in a mere 15 seconds of them crossing the room towards him.

"I'm so glad we were able to run into you! I didn't know if you would be coming…"

"Well, the King ordered me to be here, so here I am." Cedric replied dryly, motioning around him with his champagne glass.

"Lucy," said that friend of Sofia's, whose name was akin to a kind of mineral if he recalled. "I think I'm going to go get some punch. I'm parched from the broom ride here..."

"Oh! Get me some too please, Jade." said Lucinda, "I'll meet up with you in a bit. I just have to talk to my friend, here."

Jade (he knew the girl was named after some kind of rock!) curtsied to Cedric, before bounding off towards the long table that had many bowls of colorful punch on it.

"'_Lucy_'?" Cedric mimicked mockingly, smirking at the young witch. Lucinda blushed, but the smile was ever present on her face.

"I couldn't have done it without you, you know." she said, looking gratefully up at him. "I can't even begin to thank you…"

"Oh, pish posh." the sorcerer brushed away the compliment, and smiled back at her warmly. "You look lovely, by the way."

Lucinda grinned and elbowed him in the ribs. "You don't look too shabby yourself! Trying to show a special someone that you clean up well, tonight?"

"Don't be ridiculous." his face betrayed him, as a blush crept across his cheeks. "I couldn't look shabby for the King's royal summon. This ball is about camaraderie and is important for our relations to neighboring kingdoms, it's imparative I look my best."

Lucinda's grin only broadened. "It's also about loooooove, as well. I mean…" she looked sidelong at Jade, who was busy pouring two cups of delicious looking punch with a silver ladle. "that's why I'm here."

Cedric looked from Lucinda to Jade and back again, and felt a twinge of envy in the pit of his stomach. He had felt a similar, duller, version of this back when King Roland had married Queen Miranda. Now, the tightening in his chest was slightly sharper as if he were running his fingers over the jagged edges of some empty part of his heart, just now being able to make out the shape.

"I better get back to her…" said Lucinda, and Cedric could tell that she couldn't bear even to be parted from Jade this long. Not after keeping her feelings hidden for so long before. Cedric nodded and she smiled at him one last time before gliding over to her date. Once she was out of earshot, Cedric gave a sigh and downed the rest of his drink. If only they were serving something stiffer…

A noticeable quiet rippled through the room, and everyone's eyes raised to look at the Royal Family come down the stairs. Sofia, being the second princess of Enchancia, came in last and the sight of her was breathtaking. She wore a beautiful gown that cinched tightly at her waist and erased the persistent image of a little girl that Cedric always associated with her and her flouncy purple dresses. Her hair was swept up from her neck and small gems were pinned to her locks, and shimmered like dew on threads of copper. As she reached the foot of the stairway, her eyes seemed to be searching the room, not paying attention as they announced her name to the audience.

Her searching eyes met his, and he felt like he had suddenly been shocked by one of his spells gone awry. She kept his stare as she calmly walked through the crowd towards him. He couldn't read her expression, but she didn't seem mad.

'Of course,' he thought, always dreading the worst 'she had been a princess for many years now, the art of hiding her anger must be thoroughly ingrained in her by now.'

He held his breath as she continued to make her way towards him, the sea of guests parting slightly for her. The music and chatter began to swell up again, and the previous atmosphere of the ball returned. When she was only a yard away from him, and he was sure his heart was about to burst, their eye contact was suddenly cut off by someone stepping in between them with purpose.

"Princess Sofia." a young, regally dressed man greeted her silkily, giving her a low bow. "You look lovely this evening. I am Duke Redford, of Escara. May I have the honor of this next dance?"

Cedric was filled with a queer mixture of relief: the desire to take this opportunity and flee from the Princess's gaze; and a possessive envy that bubbled up deep within him. He scowled at the broad shouldered youth before him, who seemed to have overlooked the sorcerer completely.

"Oh, um…" Princess Sofia sounded a little surprised at this stranger's forwardness. "I'm sorry, Duke Redford, but I've already promised my first dance to my good friend…"

Before Cedric could react, a pair of thin arms had linked with his and he found himself being pulled towards the dancefloor with just enough time to hand his empty champagne glass to the flabberghasted duke. Sofia placed her hands on him in a loose dancer's embrace once they reached the center of the room with the other dancers. A slow waltz began to play, and Cedric's hands hesitated, hovering above her bare shoulder and small waist. Questioning his own propriety, he placed his hands and swallowed. They began to slowly sway, turning in time with the music and the sorcerer felt the Princess press a little closer to him, and lean her head against his shoulder.

"I'm sorry I pulled you out here all of a sudden. I didn't feel like dancing with a stranger right now…" she whispered to him, her breath tickling his ear and making it hard to concentrate on the simple steps of the waltz he was trying to lead her in. She looked up at him and gave him a hopeful smile. "But this is good, because I wanted to talk to you anyway."

"Princess, about what happened-" she lifted a delicate hand from her shoulder and pressed it against his lips. It was the slightest brush, but the feeling of Sofia's bare skin against his lips even for a moment was enough to silence him right away.

"Let me speak my part," she gave him a pleading look, and Cedric could only manage a weak nod. "Lucinda told me everything. You were doing a kind thing and I probably caused a ruckus by acting so upset." the sorcerer's eyes watched as she bit down on her glossy pink lip, a nervous habit from her childhood that she couldn't possibly know how enticing it was now, in a woman's body. "I just was suddenly so...so _jealous_."

Jealous? His princess? Cedric couldn't possibly see how she, a beautiful, intelligent, charming woman who so clearly had the world at her feet, could feel such an utterly mortal thing. Even now, he couldn't even fathom what great deed he must have done in some far off past life to be holding her in his arms right now, no matter how innocent the situation.

"I couldn't stop thinking about someone being so close to you and me not knowing about. I couldn't stop thinking of you leaving me." she bit her lip again, and his pulse quickened. "I guess I always had thought of you as _my_ sorcerer and that you'd always be there for me."

"Sofia…" he breathed, forgetting to add her title. His pitch black eyes were searching her infinite blue ones.

"I would never leave your side," he vowed solemnly, and just like that, the two of them as though they had waded into new water in their relationship. The Princess's eyes were wide, her bitten lips slightly parted in awe at his serious tone. Cedric realized they were floundering at the new depth of emotion being suddenly shown and began to backpedal.

"'A Sorcerer's Place is Beside the Royalty they Serve.'" Cedric quoted his father's words, with a few adjustments to fit the situation. He chuckled nervously as he watched her expression, hoping that eased the tension between them a little bit. There was a flash of confused disappointment in her eyes, but she seemed satisfied with the overall outcome of their talk. Her Sorcerer would not leave her as easily as she had thought before, and that was exactly what she wanted, right? So why did she crave some stronger vow from him? Her brows knitted together as she tried to meander around a dangerous new feeling with careful words that wouldn't scare him off.

"Promise me… if you ever do fall in love with someone...you'll tell me, right?" she squeezed his hand. He squeezed back, and wanted to tell her everything in that moment. Of watching her grow into more than just a young lady but a talented _woman_. How he secretly loved those nights they spent, studying for her sorcery tests at Royal Prep, seeing the excitement in her eyes when she completed a spell and looked towards him for praise. He doled out the honeyed words she sought very rarely, not because she didn't deserve it, but to keep her coming to his gloomy tower in order to impress him, wand waving and a new spell on her lips.

He wanted to tell her that the only reason he had found it in him to help Lucinda with her problems was because he knew the sting of loving someone so incredibly close to you, but still impossibly far away too well.

He wanted to tell her these things more than anything, but could not muster the courage in front of all these kings, all of Sofia's friends, all of the _kingdom_. No. This was not the time for him to confess. He refused to do it all shaky knees and scared of someone overhearing. She deserved to be told with certainty and a clear voice. So he tried his best to look her in the eye and convey something similar to his pledge before.

"You will be the first to know, my dear Princess." and he felt closer to her, in that moment, than he had ever felt in all their years together.


End file.
